Frequently Asked Questions
Brenner Library Questions
How do I borrow from the library?
If you just browse and pick up a book you can bring it up to the front desk with your QU ID card or your Illinois university card and we will check it out for you.
If you need to look for a book by title or subject, you will need to know the call number of the book that you want. To find the call number, you will need to look the book up in our catalog. We have a computer with our catalog ready for you to use. You will need to type in your search subject and look through the selection to find a book. There are ways to narrow your search by date published, subject, or other sorting options if there are too many books. Once you have the call number you can search the shelves for the book. If you are unfamiliar with the way the books are arranged, please ask for help. We love helping to find material. Then you will need to bring the book up to the front desk to check it out. Your due date for the return of the book will be emailed to you.
How do I renew material?
There are three ways to renew your material; using our online services, by phone call, or by stopping by.
To use our online services, go to Quincy Universities website and in the “Search Quincy University” box click on the “Renew QU and I-Share Books” button. Select Quincy University Community Login.” On the next screen, put in your QU email address and your password. Then click the RENEW button next to the material you would like to renew.
Or to renew by phone make sure to have your Quincy University ID and call 217-228-5432.
Or stop by are renew in person.
How to clear a fine?
Currently, we are not collecting fines for late books but if a book is overdue by 6 weeks it is presumed lost and a $100 fine is placed on your account. If you return the book with little or no damage then the fine will be removed. If you have damaged the book you will ask to replace it at the replacement cost determined by an online vendor like Amazon. If you have a fine for late book returns, please see a librarian.
Where to find the latest information on hours during bad weather or holidays?
To see if we are closed for a holiday, spring break, fall break, or other unusual days look at the bottom of our website library home page Quincy Universities website. Or find us on Facebook, Brenner Library-Quincy University. Were we post a monthly calendar and last-minute closers.
How do I reserve study space?
Stop by and talk to a librarian and we can set up a space for you. You will be given some signage to put on the space you want to reserve. It is quick and easy.
How can I scan a printed item to my email?
The library copier quickly scans a hard copy to your email address. Just bring your paper copy to the library and we will help you.
Where can I print from in the library?
The library has 7 computer stations for you to print from. As a student, you are given a printing allowance of $25 a semester. The library has 1 copier and 2 printers to print to. The copier is 15 cents and the printers are 10 cents. The copier will do black & white, or color.
Can I access resources from off-campus?
Most of our resources are available off-campus. We have databases to search with journal articles and ebooks. You will need to use your QU email address and password to reach many of them.
How can I find an ebook?
Go to Quincy Universities website, put in a search topic, and click the search button. It will open in a new window and there is a dropdown in-line with the search box that defaults to “Library Catalog.” Change the dropdown to be “Electronic Books at QU” and click the search icon or enter on your keyboard.
Other Lending Library
How do I borrow from another Illinois library?
We encourage you to do a search for the book in our library catalog first. Go to the library webpage Quincy Universities website, put in a search topic or title, and click the search button. It will open a new window with your research results.
After finding out that we do not have a book, there is a dropdown in-line with the search box that defaults to “Library Catalog.” Change the dropdown to “All I-Share Libraries” and click the search icon or enter on your keyboard. This will give you the search results from all libraries in Illinois.
Click on the book and a new screen will appear. You will need to login to request a book so click the “Sign In” text. Click “Quincy University Community Login” on the pop-up window. Log in using your QU email address and password. Click on the arrow in line with the “I-Share” text, (warning- this can sometimes be very slow to respond), and on the next window click the “Send Request” at the bottom.
This sends the request to one library at a time until one agrees to send it to QU for you to pick up. You will be notified by email when the book is ready for you. Just let them know that you are picking up a book you requested from another library at the front desk.
Can I renew a book from another library?
You cannot renew a book from another library in general. You can contact the other library and see if they are willing to renew the material for you.
Can I pick or return a book to another Illinois library?
Most of the libraries in the state are part of a network of CARLI libraries. They will allow you to pick up books you had previously ordered from another library, and return books to the Illinois library they were borrowed from. This is helpful if you are going home on break and need to pick up or drop off a book in your hometown somewhere in Illinois. For a full list of participating libraries visit the CARLI website
What if another Illinois library does not have it?
The service we use in Illinois libraries is not available outside the state, but we can use the US postal service to get a book if it is not available in the state. A librarian has to submit the request from a library outside of Illinois. The service we use is OCLC WorldShare. The book is then mailed to us and we let you know when we have processed it. You can submit a request in our catalog or contact the library.
Research Questions
What is a peer-reviewed article?
A peer-reviewed publication is also sometimes referred to as a scholarly publication. The peer-review process subjects an author’s scholarly work, research, or ideas to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the same field (peers) and is considered necessary to ensure academic scientific quality. (retrieved from www.usgs.gov
How do I find a peer-reviewed article?
Start your research at our main site (Quincy Universities website/) search box. You will need to click on the “Article Search” tab and there will be a box to check “ Peer Reviewed”. By checking that box, your search results will only be peer-reviewed. (You may also want to check the “Full Text” checkbox so you will only receive the article in your search that allow you to read the entire article)
What does it mean by a full-text article?
Full-text article means that you can read the entire article. When searching articles you may come across an article that only has a paragraph synopsis of the article and does not have the entire article. To avoid this, when you search using the full-text checkbox you will only get articles that the entire article is available to you.
How do I get only full-text articles?
By clicking on the Full-Text checkbox in our main search box on the “Article Search” tab, your search will have that parameter set so that you will only get full-text articles.
EBSCO also has a full-text checkbox on their page if you do not check the box on our page.
How do I know if my article is scholarly?
If your instructor requests scholarly articles, they are wanting articles that have been rigorously examined by professionals in the field of study that your article is written. We recommend that you look for peer-reviewed articles.
To find a peer-reviewed article:
Start your research at our main site (http://bxec.c178.net/brenner-library/) search box. You will need to click on the “Article Search” tab and there will be a box to check “ Peer Reviewed”. By checking that box, your search results will only be peer-reviewed. (You may also want to check the “Full Text” checkbox so you will only receive the article in your search that allow you to read the entire article)